Clemens, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,194, has disclosed a system for recording and playback of information, including audio, video and color information, capacitively. The high density information record has signal information in the form of a surface relief pattern in an information track, e.g., a spiral groove, on the surface of the record. The record is made conductive with a metal layer, which acts as the first electrode of a capacitor, and then with a dielectric layer. The record is played back by means of a stylus electrode which is the second electrode of the capacitor. Since the record is rotated at a fairly high speed, on the order of 450 rpm, the friction between the stylus and the record surface may result in undue stylus wear. Thus a lubricant is applied to the surface of the record.
A suitable class of lubricants has been described by Matthies in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,408, herein incorporated by reference. These lubricants have the generic formula ##STR1## wherein R is an alkyl group of 4 to 20 carbon atoms and n is an integer.
Various improvements have been made to the record of Clemens including a record made from a conductive plastic which avoids the need for applying separate conductive metal and dielectric layers. Such a record may contain conductive particles for example. Improvement has also been made to the lubricant system. It has been found that when the lubricant is purified and fractionated, improved playback and storage stability results. The fractionated lubricant has the formula ##STR2## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are alkyl groups of 4-20 carbon atoms, x is an integer of 2-4 and y is an integer of 0-2 and wherein the sum of x and y is 4 or less. The improved lubricant has better long term stability and improved first play performance and it is described in a patent by Wang et al., U. S. Pat. No. 4,275,101, and also herein incorporated by reference.
Some problems still remain for the lubricated, conductive record. The record surface has been found to be sensitive to moisture; that is, when the record is exposed to ambient conditions over a period of time, particularly including conditions of high relative humidity, a thin layer of organic and inorganic water soluble salt deposits form on the surface of the record, lifting the stylus during playback and interrupting the signal. This loss of signal has been termed "carrier distress". This carrier distress has been alleviated somewhat by careful cleaning and drying of the record surface which removes water soluble materials that have formed on the surface during molding operations. However, with time, additional water soluble materials and external debris form on the surface of the record, particularly in the presence of water vapor. Thus a method of improving the long term stability of the disc surface to moisture has continued to be sought.